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WNO Look-In: Aida

Theater, music, and dance come together in this introduction to opera and Verdi’s Aida, one of the world’s most famous operas. At this Look-In, students hear amazing performances; see demonstrations of behind-the scenes technology, lighting, and stagecraft; and get a glimpse into the many careers available in stage performance, both onstage and behind the curtains.

Alcina: Washington National Opera Open Rehearsal

Welcome to the island of illusions, where Alcina, a beautiful sorceress, turns her lovers into wild beasts or stone when she tires of them. When the dashing knight Ruggiero is in her clutches, his fiancée Bradamante takes on a daring disguise to free her beloved and break the curse. But is Alcina finally falling for the man of her dreams? In this cruel paradise, can anyone tell what is real?

Cantus: Performance/Demonstration

A small but extraordinary all-male chamber choir from Minnesota, Cantus is known worldwide for its trademark warmth and engaging performances. Working without a conductor, the members rehearse and perform as chamber musicians, each contributing to the entirety of the artistic process.

Digging up Dessa

Dessa is a 21st-century girl with no shortage of struggles, secrets, and mysteries to solve. From dinosaur bones to hidden memories, the world is filled with buried treasures just waiting to be uncovered. Luckily, thanks to the mysterious appearance of a remarkable friend—the pioneering 19th-century English paleontologist Mary Anning—young Dessa knows just how to excavate them! After a field trip to a museum reveals that Mary Anning’s legacy has been buried by history because of her gender and lack of formal education, Dessa decides that she’s going to fight to earn her friend the credit she deserves. With help from her once-rival Nilo, Dessa sets to work unearthing the secrets hidden beneath the surface of the past and present—for Mary’s history and her own future.

Grey Skies Blue: Performed by SHAPESHIFT Theatrical

A young woman is forced to confront her past when her estranged mother suddenly appears at her doorstep. Two lifelong friends face a journey of cultural and self-identity together. A promising relationship is jeopardized by deception. Can any of them trust their friends or companions? And how well do they truly know themselves?

NSO Family Concert: Halloween Spooktacular

When is it ever cool to “boo” the orchestra? On Halloween, of course! But watch out, because at this frightfully fun concert, ghoulishly attired musicians might “BOO” you from behind their instruments in return.

La Bayadère - Mariinsky Ballet Working Rehearsal

With forbidden love, shocking betrayal, and a spectral voyage to the afterlife, this enchanting journey to a fabled past radiates with colorful characters, vibrant sets and costumes, and virtuosic moments. But nothing will prepare you for the entrance of the “Shades,” a seemingly endless line of ghostly maidens in white, floating in perfect synchronicity across the stage.

NSO Family Concert: Let's Remix The Classix!

What would the classics sound like with a Hip Hop beat? How about as a mashup with some cool rockin’ rhythms? Find out when the NSO reunites with Grammy®-nominated beatboxer and multi-instrumentalist Christylez Bacon and wildly original electric cellist/composer Wytold for a crash course in the fundamentals of remixing! Through beatboxing, improvising, and other creative techniques, these D.C. favorites take inspiration from Pachelbel's Canon, Beethoven's Seventh Symphony, Bernstein's West Side Story, and other masterpieces featured everywhere from movies to TV to weddings—and make them completely their own.

The Little Prince

A young boy sets out on a quest across the cosmos to find new companionship after leaving his tiny home planet, where he spent his days protecting his only friend, a rose, from miniature volcanoes and ravenous baobab trees. Along the way, he meets fascinating intergalactic inhabitants, including a delusional king, a rich businessman, and a wearied lamplighter. Eventually, he meets a pilot on Earth who has crash-landed in the Sahara. The two become unlikely friends, learning lessons from the desert’s many creatures until the prince realizes just how special his rose really is.

Me... Jane: The Dreams & Adventures of Young Jane Goodall

In this brand new musical adaptation, join young Jane and her special friend as they learn about the world around them and the importance of protecting all living species. With anecdotes taken directly from Jane Goodall’s autobiography, this adaptation makes this very true story accessible for the young—and young at heart.

Mr. Popper's Penguins

In the small town of Stillwater, painter and decorator Mr. Popper is a pleasant, practical, predictable person who periodically pines for polar adventures. But when a peculiar package on the Poppers’ porch produces a penguin, chaos waddles into their lives! Soon, the Poppers open their home and hearts to not one, not two, but a bunch of boisterous black-and-white birds!

Night Train 57: A Sensory-Friendly Folk Opera

All aboard the Night Train! Enter the freewheeling musical world of Grammy® winner Dan Zanes, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Claudia Eliaza, and more special guests for an interactive folk opera that takes audiences on a far-out ride to the galaxies and back. During a joyous dusk-to-dawn trip through the stars, passengers on Night Train 57 will discover the power of friendship and community with the sounds of 21st century handmade sing-along music.

NSO Young People's Concert - Reach For The Moon

Just like President Kennedy had a vision for America, composers have visions of how they want their music to sound. For some, their musical mission is to explore a galaxy of stars and planets, moon shots, space walks, and galactic battles!

Selma: A Film and Live Music Event with the NSO, Jason Moran, and Others

Experience Ava DuVernay’s film on a big screen with Jason Moran’s acclaimed score for the film performed live by a full orchestra conducted by Ryan McAdams. This event coincides with the one-year anniversary of the opening of the National Museum of African American History & Culture.

Sphinx Virtuosi: Performance/Demonstration

This amazing, conductorless chamber orchestra is known for showcasing a tremendous variety of styles. The ensemble has caused a major, positive shift in the landscape of chamber artists, with programs delighting young and new audiences as much as seasoned listeners.

NSO Music for Young Audiences: The String Thing

ATTENTION: kids, parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, rubber chickens... but especially kids and rubber chickens! Step right up to this daring double act of classical fun! Bassist Paul DeNola and violinist Heather LeDoux Green take a break from the NSO to introduce young audiences to some of the greatest music ever written. You’ll never hear a word out of them during the concert, but with instruments in hand and a trunk full of gags, this “silent” comedic tag-team presents a hilarious program of music and mayhem.

The Little Prince: Washington National Opera Open Rehearsal

A young boy sets out on a quest across the cosmos to find new companionship after leaving his tiny home planet, where he spent his days protecting his only friend, a rose, from miniature volcanoes and ravenous baobab trees. Along the way, he meets fascinating intergalactic inhabitants, including a delusional king, a rich businessman, and a wearied lamplighter. Eventually, he meets a pilot on Earth who has crash-landed in the Sahara. The two become unlikely friends, learning lessons from the desert’s many creatures until the prince realizes just how special his rose really is.

The Nutcracker: Kansas City Ballet

From the moment we meet toymaker Drosselmeier in his workshop, the elaborate sets, sparkling costumes, and impressive choreography will take your breath away. All of your favorite moments are here: the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, the battle between the Nutcracker Prince and the villainous Mouse King, and of course the parade of international dances in the Land of the Sweets. Plenty of inventive twists also abound, from a toy bear that comes to life and a grandfather with Hip Hop moves to a line of giant Russian nesting dolls.

NSO Music for Young Audiences: Two Divas and a Bear

What happens when you bring together a concert violinist, an opera singer, and everyone’s favorite stuffed animal? You get Two Divas and a Bear! Join NSO violinist Marissa Regni and soprano Kari Paludan as they explore the human voice. As it turns out, the violin has a voice, too! As you listen to Schubert’s The Trout, Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise, and Rossini’s Two Cats, you’ll discover that the strings of the violin are very similar to our very own vocal cords.

Waves, all that Glows Sees

Experience the joy of theater in this carefully crafted experience for the very young, written by Véronique Côté! Adults with their little ones follow a pathway of shells and stones into a warm, serene tent on the stage, where a gentle seaside scene awaits. One man makes music, while another dreams of the ocean. Through sand shaping, shadow puppetry, and inventive sound effects, the two performers create tender, magical moments of sea turtles, seagulls, fish, dune grass, ships, and sky. As time passes, one of the men plays at diving into the water in search of treasure, bringing a poetic undersea adventure to life before your eyes.

Wilderness

This New York Times Critics’ Pick is a pulsating new multimedia documentary theater work from En Garde Arts that speaks to our collective search for connection and hope as families navigate the complexities of their children coming of age in 21st-century America. The production is derived from the real-life stories of six families—narratives exploring issues of mental health, addiction, and gender and sexual identity. Video and projection design combines sweeping landscapes with documentary footage of parents, veering from familiar domestic confines to the harshness of the world outdoors.

ARTSEDGE, part of the Rubenstein Arts Access Program, is generously funded by David Rubenstein.

Additional support is provided by the U.S. Department of Education.

Kennedy Center education and related artistic programming is made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts and the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts.

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